Automobile signal



Oct. 18, 1932. J. A; BELL AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed Oct. 20. 1951 Ima/nto?,

IA 3e Patented Oct. 18],Y 1932'` JAMES ARCHIEB'ELL, 01s'y SHELBYVILLE, KENTUCKY i AUToMoBI'LE SIGNAL mobile signa-ls'which are carried by the ve-k hicle and include an armunovable longitu# dinally outward from the side of the vehicleA to give the proper signal to a `following ve. hicle and inward upon the conclusion of the signal, under control. of the driver of the vehicle, A primary vpurpose of the invention is to provide a signal of the typestated which will be of the utmost simplicity of 10 construction, and will beoperative to disclose the intentions of the driver as towhether he is about to stop or to make a right hand turn or to make a left handA turn.

This purpose is securedl from. Ythe construction-illustrated in the accompanying drawing and herein ,described and claimed. In said drawing, wherein like characters ,of reference indicate like parts in the several views: l H 20 rig. 1 is a partial view of the forward part ofan automobileprovided with my improved signal4 and shows the latter in retracted position in full lines,;and in theseveral positions yto which itis adjustable in signalling the intentions of the driver, in dotted outline;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 of Fig. l; i

Figs. 3 and 4 are cross sections on the lines 3-3 and H, respectively.

The signal constituting this invention consists of a supporting -and guiding'member A yand an arm B slidably mounted on said member A, together with posts @and 6, all relatively constructed and arranged to permit the arm to be' projected l and retracted with relation to the member A and when its fully projected position to be turned about the post a soas to extend at-an'inclination downward or upwardvfr'om its rear end yaccording to the requirements 'in relation to the signal to be given.' The construction and relative arrangement ofthe member A,arm B and posts a and b, according to this invention furthermore are such that when the arm is inpartially projected position it'v will 'standoutstraight from the side of the vehicle andwhilecapable of-ybeing-easily ad- 'i justed longitudinally and pivotall'y bythe Vundue rattling tendency.

Appmafion 'mea octoberao, 1931. serial Ne. 570,017;

operator will at all times be held `against any annoying rattling tendency. Y,

To these ends, the member A, hereinafter called body member, is formedwith a lon-` gitudinal slot 10 whose forward end termi` nates in arcuate extensions 1l and 12 respectively projecting forwardly therefrom and iny an upward and downward direction with relation thereto. The post a, which is Vcarried by the body member, occupies a horizontal position across the mouth of said member and is in alinement with the slot 10.. The arm B is formed withthe slot 13 in rege, istration with the slot 10 in the 'body member. andthrough which the posta extends. The post -b is carried by the arm B and arranged rearward of the slot 13. In kthe movements kof said arm outward and inward relatively tothe body member A, the post b traverses the slot 10 in said body member and in the movements of the armabout the post a to a downwardly inclined position the post b traverses .the slot extension y11 and in the movement of saidarm about said post a-to anupwardly inclined position said post b traverses the slot extensionlQ. e v

The body member A is preferably formed to completely encase the arm B throughout' almost the entire length of `said arm, when the latter is retracted, as shown'best in Figs. o

V1, and it will be Anoticed that the arm B fits closely within said body member, with its edges in contactwith the longitudinal walls and its front and rear surfaces in contact with the inner surfaces of the front and back elements, respectively, of thehollow portion-of said body member. It will also be `noticed that the outer end portion of said bodyv member is expanded laterally and correspondingly hollowed to afford roomvin said end for the pivotal movement of the rear end of the armwhen the latter is being adjusted to a downward inclination or to an upward inclination: and finally it will be noticed that the posts aV and b co-operate g5 with eachother andl with the walls of the lhollow bodymember and edges of the arm in guiding the latter in its longitudinal and pivotal' movements and in overcoming any.

Any suitable means for moving the arm B relatively to the body member A may be resorted to in practice. A very simplemeans for this purpose comprises a head 15 to be grasped by the driver of the vehicle` in adjusting the arm. The head here show-n is mounted upon the stem of the postb and has av threaded engagement with said stem, as shown at 16, so that it may be tightened or loosened by a slight turn.I

signal is mounted within the vehicle in-a position convenient to the driver, who by grasping the head moves- Ythe armoutward or inward relatively to the body member and pivotally upwardor downward as the 'occasion demands. If he desires that the arm shall 'stand out straight from the side of the vehicle he terminates the outward movement thereof before the post b has reached the a'rcuateslot extensions 11, 12. If, on the other hand, the nature of the signal toy be given requires that kthe arm extend at an upward inclination -or fat a downward inclination,

. the operator-'of the signal projects it to the point at which the `said post will be in position to' traverse said slot extensions 11 or 12, kas the case may be, and will then move the rear end of the arm within the proper extension'. If he desires that it be held against displacement, hemay give the` head l5 a;

slight turn to cause it to press tightly against the body member and thereby create sufhcient frietional resistance to displacement of x the arm to make it practicable for the operatorY to release said head, so that his hands will be free to operate the vehicle. When practicable, and usually it will be practicable to do so, he 'may hold the arm in its adjusted position until' the signal may be withdrawn, by maintaining his grasp upon the. head1.A

'It will .be understood that the body member the arm-may `be made 4of, either .wood (ir-metal, whichever is preferred; and it will be noticed that .the construction is of the utmost simplicity, may be readily applied to any motor vehicleand when so applied will present a neat appearance. The outer end of the arm is'preferably, as shown, formed to resemble an open hand, and the forward end of the body member is shaped to conform t'o the Yshape of the hand, the major portion ofwhich is encased in the forwardV end of said body member while the remainder of the Varm is encased within the remaining portion ofthe body member, when the arm is in its retracted position. In short,

' the arm is 'entirely vencased when in its retr'a'cted position within` the body member except for the extreme forward end ofsaid arm and, moreover, is iitted in said bjody member sufficiently tightlyto avoid rattling lwhile permittingit to have its required movements relatively to said body memb'en Having thus described the invention what I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An automobile signal including a body member and an arm slidably engaged with said body member and having a. longitudinal v otal movement when the arm has been ad- It will be understood that in practice this arm-having a longitudinal slotY and a body member Asupporting"said arm-said arm be'-Y in'g slidably engaged with'said body member and provided with a post'rearward of its slot and vsaid body member having in a wall thereof a slot traversed by said post. in the longitudinal movement of the arm relatively to the body member and also having, forward f said slot,- a post which extends through the slot in .the arm and about which the arm has pivotal kmovement when in its'outward position' relatively to ther body member.

3. An automobile signal according to 'claim 2 in which the slot in the 'wall of the body member terminates at its forward end in arcuate forwardly extending openings respectively extending upward and downward from' the slot and the post which projects from said arm Vtraverses said openings, r`espectively, in the pivotal movements of the arm. l i

14. automobile l signal accordingV to claim 2 in which the bodymemberiis hollow and the major portion of the arm fits snugly thereinwhen said armv is in its' retracted position, and the posts and slotsfare 'so correlated as to co-operate with saidl snug fit in effectively guiding the. arm in its movements and in overcoming any tendency of the arm to rattle; i l

5. An automobile signal according to claim 2in which the larm has a laterally expanded outer end ,and the outer end of the body member iseorrespondinglyexpanded, and inwhich also the slot in the wall of said body member extends into the laterally expanded end of said member and terminates Within saidend in arcuate forwardly extending openings respectively extending upward and downward from the slot inI a substantially Vconcentric relationlwith 4the post which extends from said body member, and the post which projects from the arm traverses said openings, respectively, in the pivot'ed movements ofthe arm.

6. An automobile signal comprising a body member and anV arm slidably engaged with saidbody member, said arm having a longitudinal slot which extends Athrough the sides thereof and said body member having at its forward end a post which extends intov said slot and about which the rear end of the arm may be turned pivotally in either up n ward or downward direction whenthe arm has been moved to its outward limit relatively to the body member, said body mem; ber and arm having means cooperating to hold the arm in a horizontal position when the arm has been projected from the body member but has not yet reached the position at which it may be turned pivotally.

7 An automobile signal comprising va body member and an arm slidably engaged with said body member, said body member and arm having registering longitudinal slots, a post carried by the rear end of the arm and traversing the slot in the body member, a second post carried by the body member and extending through the slot in the arm, said second post being arranged in line with, but spaced from the forward end of the slot in the body member and the irst mentioned post co-acting with the walls of the slot in the body member to hold the arm in horizontal position until the rear end of the slot in said arm when it has reached the last mentioned position being movable pivotally about the second post in an upward or downward slanting position.

8. An automobile signal accordingk to claim 6 in which the arm is provided with a post for convenience in moving it relatively to the body member and said post is provided with a head which may be turned to' fix the arm in adjusted position.

9. An automobile signal according to claim 7 in which the irst mentioned post is provided with a head for convenience inmoving the arm relatively to the body member and said head is mounted to be turned to fix the arm in adjusted position.

Signed at Shelbyville, in the county of Shelby, and State of Kentucky, this 10 day of October, 1931.

JAMES ARCI-IIE BELL.

has reached said' secondpost, the arm` 

